Advance Wars: The United Offensive
by Timothy H. Holmes
Summary: Sturm launches a final and desperate assault on all 4 continents in an attempt to finally rule that world. Who will win?
1. Hopeless Cause

Flak stared at the map of Orange Star with an unnatural look. He was thinking. Enemy artillery was pounding the last Black Hole stronghold in Orange Star. He was at least safe in his own underground bunker. He wondered how he could have lost. His early victories seemed so easy. Now, long after the initial invasions of Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth, he had limited options. He had been beaten back again and again. He had always been outsmarted. He shook his head and wondered if he could get out of Orange Star alive.

A Black Hole soldier ran into the room. He quickly saluted and hurried to his C.O. "Master Flak, the enemy has just broke through the northern lines. Your orders?"

Flak looked at the soldier and rubbed his head. Stressful times always gave him a headache. "Pull back to the outskirts of the capital," he replied smartly. The enemy had surrounded him at Orange Star's capital; the last Black Hole stronghold in Orange Star. Now, with his northern lines falling back to the capital, his eastern and western fronts would have more pressure on them. He knew he could not win anymore...

Suddenly, the air raid alarms sounded. Anti-air units started firing. Many officers rushed into Flak's bunker with tired looks on their faces, the looks of defeat. The sound of the bomber engines could be heard.

"Looks like they are about ready to launch a final assault," one officer grimly observed.

"I agree, but maybe we can get out of here alive. I hear that both Adder in Yellow Comet and Hawke in Green Earth have won many victories. Even Lash is holding back Blue Moon's attacks," answered another officer.

The all-clear signal echoed within the bunker. The officers walked out of the bunker and back to the makeshift HQ. Flak even walked out of his bunker and looked at the capital of Orange Star.

The capital was pretty much leveled. A building did stand here and there, but most were too damaged to garrison in. The capital was fairly small, only 5 square miles. Now Flak only controlled 20 square miles of Orange Star, when he should have conquered it a long time ago. A reconnaissance squad roared up in jeeps next to Flak. A soldier jumped out and saluted quickly.

"L-L-Lord Flak, the enemy is massing tr-tr-tr-oops on all fronts, it looks like they will at-at-attack soon," the young soldier stammered.

Flak grunted and turned away. The young soldier jumped back into the jeep and roared off with the others towards the western front. Flak rushed into the makeshift HQ, a mere 75 yards from his bunker. (The bunker was too crowded for the entire staff to be bunched inside.) He entered the office of the top General under his command. He noticed that the wall behind his desk had collapsed. "General Wilkins, is there any chance for me to escape this retched place?"

General Roger Wilkins, 62, was Flak's main adviser. Although Flak was quite spontaneous, Wilkins usually helped Flak out. Flak wasted many men and resources during many of his spontaneous attacks. Wilkins did lose some battles, but most were because of Flak's interference. He looked at Flak with no expression. "I see no way, any air transportation would be shot down and going through enemy lines in a single APC won't get you anywhere."

Flak thanked the General and walked out of the office. On the way to the door, a lower officer stopped him. "Lord Flak, I have serious news. Lord Sturm has stopped sending reinforcements. The beach landings 60 miles east of here have been repulsed." Flak was surrounded and cut off. The enemy was about to attack. He knew he had failed.

Flak shuddered to think what would happen to him if Lord Sturm found out he had failed him. He walked back into his bunker, knowing he just may not survive after all.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

"Nell, all troops are in position!" shouted Sami. She looked toward the line of the forest, happy that she may be able to surprise them. "We are ready to attack."

"Good job Sami, you assembled your troops quickly. Andy and Max need just a little more time, then we will be ready to finally drive Black Hole out of our homeland." Nell replied.

The troops were looking restless, they have fought for so long. Morale was high and with the enemy cut off, it looked like victory was eminent. Another air raid flew above them. Artillery continued to fire. A jeep roared up to HQ. Andy and Max jumped out and swiftly made their way to Nell. "Troops assembled!" they both shouted.

"You are late," Nell observed. "Sami has been ready for a while now."

"Sorry about that," they both muttered. "The troops are unruly."

"Get back to your posts and prepare to attack, I'll let this slide for now." Nell said.

Max and Andy jumped back into the jeep and took off towards the north. Nell looked at her watch. 7:29 P.M. She ordered the artillery to stop a minute later. Her troops returned from the front a moment later. The lead officer saluted Nell. "The diversion worked, Commander! Their troops fell back to the capital!"

Nell nodded. The lead officer walked back to organize his troops. Nell then looked at Sami. "You better get back to your front. We attack at dawn." Sami hopped onto an APC and disappeared into the horizon. There is no way she could fail. Her strength was 12 infantry divisions, 5 MD tank divisions, 10 tank divisions, and 3 helicopter divisions. The enemy had approximately 9 mixed infantry divisions, 1 half-strength MD tank division, 3 tank divisions, and no air strength. She smiled for the first time in a long while. Their homeland will finally be free of the Black Hole menace.

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Flak smiled at the soldier. This soldier was the only soldier in the Black Hole army who called Flak "Master." Flak treated him like a son. Ever since Black Hole stopped using the inferior cloned soldiers, Flak wanted to learn about these people's lives. This soldier was a new recruit and was very nervous. Probably because they were surrounded and cut off. Flak told the soldier to wait in his bunker and proceeded out the door to the makeshift HQ.

Every lead officer in Flak's army was present. They were furiously discussing defense strategies. General Wilkins seemed to be the only one that was discussing a formidable defense. Flak made his way to General Wilkins and looked around the room. The room immediately fell silent. "So where do we place our troops?" Flak asked.

"We set a trap." General Wilkins replied. "It is the best thing we can do right now. The chances of holding off the Orange Star army is slim to none. The only question now is when to send the troops to their positions." He looked at Flak.

"How about right before dawn?" Flak said. General Wilkins studied him for a moment and smiled. Hawke was right, he did have potential. General Wilkins nodded.

"That sounds good Commander. We will place our troops right before dawn so the enemy cannot notice any movement. We will then place fall-back positions. We will defend for as long as possible and we will not be defeated!"

The officers cheered. If they can hold back the Orange Star army, maybe Lord Sturm will reconsider and send reinforcements. They quickly dispersed to their divisions until there was only Flak and General Wilkins. General Wilkins was the first to speak. "We will fight fiercely, hopefully you and I both will be alive after this. I cannot fight, I'm much too old."

Flak nodded. "I have no intention to surrender." He smiled at General Wilkins, perhaps for the last time, and walked out of the makeshift HQ. He then remembered the soldier in his bunker. He ran back into the bunker and was pleased to see the soldier still there.

Flak clapped a hand on the soldier's shoulder. "Stay safe, and fight hard. May we see each other again, Greg."

Greg saluted and proceeded out of the bunker, looking back at the only father he ever knew.

The stage was set for a final battle, although it looked hopeless for Black Hole, they still had a chance. Perhaps, if Sturm does not send reinforcements, the other CO's will. IF they hold...


	3. Orange Star Charge!

Nell checked her watch again. Almost dawn. She looked down the tree line and gave the silent signal for attack. The entire line ran silently across the field to the Orange Star capital. 50 yards, 100 yards, getting closer. The artillery started to fire, the tanks started to emerge and charge down the field. The whistles' shrill sound was heard everywhere as battle cries were heard from the entire line. They charged into the city.

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"FIRE!" shouted Flak. The hidden soldiers fired a tremendous volley that dropped many Orange Star soldiers. Troops from the bell tower started firing anti-tank weapons. Orange Star tanks erupted in flames. Black Hole held their position in their trenches.

"We can't hold them back!" shouted one soldier. Flak realized this and ordered the troops to fall back. He ran alongside his troops and could hear the battle on the Eastern Lines. He hoped General Wilkins could hold out. He ducked behind a building as a MD tank fired, ripping apart the bell tower. Flak grabbed an anti-tank weapon from a running soldier and fired at the MD tank, the tank stopped in it's tracks and exploded. He threw down the weapon and rejoined the rest of his troops. He looked to the Northern Front, which seemed to be holding, and then to the Southern Front. Troops were running for their lives. One soldier stopped just long enough to tell Flak that the Southern Lines have been broken. Flak ordered some men to follow him to the Southern Front. He tried to rally the soldiers, but they still ran. He then grabbed his machine gun and opened fire on the pursuing Orange Star troops. They fell immediately. A tank suddenly charged over some ruins and fired at Flak. The building next to Flak fell on him and his squad.

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"The Eastern and Northern attacks are being repulsed." Nell grimly observed. "They fight so fiercely, we did not expect them to fight at all."

"But Commanders Sami and Andy's divisions have made considerable progress," a lead officer stated. "It's only a matter of time before they surrender."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Nell replied. "We must expect that anything can happen. Send in the reserves."

The lead officer jumped off the jeep and saluted Max. "Commander Max, The Eastern Front needs help. Commander Nell requests that you get your troops together as soon as possible and attack as soon as you are ready."

Max nodded and turned to his all-tank army. "It's time to rock and roll!" he shouted. Cheers erupted from the tanks. Everyone was running to their posts as the tank engines fired. Max jumped into the lead MD tank and took off. The other tanks followed.

When Max arrived at the Eastern Front, he jumped out of his MD tank to the lead General. The din from the close battle rattled everyone's eardrums. The lead General nodded and started shouting into the radio. "MAX...AND...HIS...TANKS...ARE HERE!" He put down his radio and told Max everything that was going on. "Our initial attacks were repulsed with such ferocity, many of the soldiers won't go back! They are holed up in between those buildings, we can't even get our artillery to hit them!"

"Leave them to me!" Max stated. He jumped back into his tank and charged towards the two buildings.

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An officer ran into the room. "General Wilkins! Commander Flak is missing in action. What are your orders sir? Should I form a rescue party?"

General Wilkins pointed towards the Eastern Lines. "The enemy is coming with large amounts of troops and tanks. We can spare no one! Commander Flak can take care of himself, if he is still alive. For now we must worry about the rest of the soldier's lives."

The officer nodded and ran back into the Eastern Trenches. General Wilkins walked back into the makeshift HQ. Only a few officers were there, transferring information from their fronts. It seems like the lines were holding, with the exception of the Southern Lines, which were being overrun by Nell's troops. General Wilkins quickly ordered a couple of officers to grab a couple of soldiers and transport them to the southern section of the city. The officers quickly saluted and ran off. He looked down at the map, which was recording all activity on the battle. He sighed and looked next to him. "Major, what are our casualties?"

The Major took a deep breath. "Sir, we have lost about 3 infantry divisions, and one tank division. The damage we think we have inflicted on the enemy is much higher. They were very surprised."

General Wilkins nodded. "Try to contact Commander Lash, she might be able to get us out of here." The Major nodded and rushed out. General Wilkins sat down with his hands on his face and took a deep breath. With the Commanding Officer missing, morale may drop so low they might surrender. He got back up and found himself face to face with Greg.

"Uhh...sir? I heard Commander Flak is missing...is he dead?"

"Son, he is a very tough person. If he has died, he died the way he wanted to. I am sorry. There is nothing else I can say." General Wilkins walked out and looked out to the eastern tree line. He noticed some movement.

He ran towards the Eastern Trenches. "INCOMING TANKS! HOLD STRONG!" He grabbed a sniper rifle and jumped into the trench. He hoped he still had the skill he had in the first war...


	4. Heavy Losses

Max appeared in the scope. General Wilkins steadied his aim. "Just a little closer." He pulled the trigger just as the tank fired at the building. General Wilkins ran out of the trench just as the building collapsed. When he looked back, the trench was no longer there.

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"Commander Max! Wake up!"

"That's a nasty wound. We need a medic!"

A medic ran up to the wounded CO. He grabbed the radio and shouted something into it. Within seconds a T-copter appeared and landed nearby. The soldiers gently placed Max in the T-copter and backed away. The T-copter took off and flew away.

"What is the problem with you!" Nell exclaimed. "You called off the attack because Max was shot? Do you know how many lives will be wasted on the other fronts because of you? You just raised their morale even higher! They think they can win! Get out of my sight NOW!" The soldier ran off. Nell started to rub her head. She had to stop before she got out of control. She sat down and started thinking of other strategies...

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"General Wilkins, we cannot hold much longer. We must surrender. We are almost out of food, water, and ammo."

General Wilkins stared at the officer. "We have a cache of ammo in the bunker. All troops that are low on ammo or completely out are to report to the bunker immediately. I'll meet them there." The officer saluted and rushed out of the makeshift H.Q.

General Wilkins looked at the map. The bunker was in the exact center of the city. It was surrounded by buildings on all sides. The only way in or out of the pocket was 5 roads. 3 roads have already been blocked off by destroyed buildings. He started placing troops in the best defensive position possible. After he was done, he looked at everyone in the H.Q. "Do you see this? These are my orders. All troops pull back to these positions! GO!" The officers took off at the same time. He grabbed his sniper rifle and walked into his bunker.

"One, two, three, four, five." Greg counted his shots. He reloaded and continued picking off the enemy soldiers. Two men next to him fell. He ducked down and threw a grenade. He looked up and seen many Orange Star troops fly in the air. He continued picking off the troops until he ran out of ammo. He climbed out of the trench and ran to the bunker. Seconds later he heard the horrid screams of his comrades. They have been overrun.

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"LET'S GO!" shouted an Orange Star soldier. Many troops charged into the city. They turned and continued along the edge of the city limits. The lead soldier held out a hand to stop the others. He pulled out a grenade, looked around the corner of the building, and threw a grenade in the trench. After the explosion he charged around the corner into the trench firing madly. His troops followed. Seconds later it was over. He looked around and seen only a few troops. He continued deeper into the city, followed by his soldiers. He stopped at the next building and looked around the corner. He seen nothing. He ran out to the next building, then the next, then the next. He ran down the street and into the alley. He stopped, facing a turret of a Black Hole MD tank. The MD tank fired, tearing into the soldiers that followed. Another soldier took point and led the others around the building. He grabbed an anti-tank weapon and popped out of the corner. Another Black Hold MD tank fired just as the soldier fired his weapon. The treads of the MD tank were destroyed, but another soldier died.

"Clever bastards!" one soldier grimly observed. "They took the MD tanks and placed them back to back! How can we destroy them now?"

A private grabbed the last 4 anti-tank weapons and proceded into the building. He climbed up the stairs and emerged on the roof. He pointed one anti-tank weapon down at the MD tanks and fired. The rocket crashed down onto the tank. The tank burst into flames. The other tank's hatch opened up. An officer climbed out of the tank and started to fire at the roof. The private pointed the weapon at the other tank and fired just as a bullet caught him in the chest. The rocket went right into the hatch and blasted the tank to bits. The soldier smiled and fell into the rubble.


	5. The Greater Good

"Wait for it, wait for it..." General Wilkins looked around in the room. 15 of his bravest soldiers knelt next to him. He grabbed a grenade and held it in his hands. The other troops did so too. He sneaked a peek outside and pulled the pin on the grenade. "THROW!"

The other troops threw their grenades simultaneously. "FIRE!" shouted General Wilkins. The building erupted in a hail of gunfire. The Orange Star troops fell very quickly. Two anti-tank weapons shot from the building into two MD tanks. They erupted in flames. General Wilkins peered across the horizon and seen a couple of shadows. "TAKE COVER!" He grabbed the nearest troop and flung him on the ground as the Attack Copters' mini-guns fired. 3 Black Hole soldiers died instantly. He crawled towards the staircase and ran down the stairs to the ground floor. He looked around as he heard the missiles smash into the floor above them. He kicked open the door and charged into the street. His remaining 12 troops followed.

General Wilkins found himself face to face with an Orange Star gun. He looked around and dropped his weapon and raised his hand slowly. The other soldiers did so too. The 30 Orange Star soldiers had them surrounded. They had no choice but to surrender.

An Orange Star officer looked at General Wilkins with disgust. "I've heard of you. You are the reason Orange Star has been having such a tough time getting Black Hole out of our country. Nell will be most pleased. Take them away." The other soldiers escorted the others back towards the city limits.

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"So that fool has stopped sending reinforcements? Flak may not be the best commanding officer but he is still useful. Why does he think that killing valuable troops will ? He is ensuring his own defeat." Hawke gazed deeply into the night sky. He took a deep breath, took out two letters, and looked back to the officer. "Give this letter to Lash, and this letter to Adder." He handed both to the officer.

"Yes. My Lord."

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Greg grabbed one of the last ammo clips. Over half of Flak's troops were in the bunker. None of them seemed to be heading outside. They were all in a panic. Many were crying. Some raw recruits were trying to get as far away from the bunker's reinforced door as possible. Some officers were trying to rally the troops, but their efforts were in vain. Greg looked around, opened up the door, and proceeded outside. Many troops just stared. Some got up and followed him outside as well.

Greg looked around and proceeded to the makeshift H.Q. He noticed only one Major burning important documents. The Major looked at Greg and continued to throw some more documents into the fire. "So what do you want?"

"I want to know the situation of this battle."

"Hopeless"

"Show me the map and tell me where our troops are!"

The Major walked over the Greg and rolled out the map. He pointed at the bunker "Some troops are here." He pointed at two roads. "These two roads are the only way into the center of the city. One road was blockaded by a collapsed building just a few minutes ago. Our troops are mostly concentrated on the Southern Road, but right now, nothing short of a miracle can save us now.

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Adder listened intently and afterwards immediately grabbed a piece of paper. "I want 20 transsport helicopterss full of infantry and mechss and 5 attack helicopterss immediately. I also want a fighter squadron to escort them to Orange Star." Adder put down the receiver and finished the letter. He handed the letter to one of his personal bodyguards. "I want thiss to be delivered to Lassh as ssoon as possible. The radio liness to Blue Moon have all been tapped. You only have a couple of dayss. Move!" The bodyguard ran out of the office. Adder picked up the radio receiver and radioed Hawke. "She should get the messsage in about a day. Your bomberss will ssmash Blue Moon's capital and Lassh will press the attack. I'll alert you if the diverssion worked." Adder put down the receiver and sat down. He spun his chair 180 degrees and looked at the full body mirror. "You brilliant man, you..."


	6. Venom

(Author's Note: I realize that this chapter is quite late. I'm terribly sorry to any of my fans and I will assure you that this will not happen again unless I give a prior warning...sorry to keep you waiting for about half a year...I hope I won't disappoint...)

General Wilkins looked back towards the flaming ruins of the Orange Star capital. The constant sound of helicopters filled the sky as the sun slowly drifted back into the horizon. They marched steadily toward a destination he didn't know. The road was well lit, yet nobody except the Orange Star troops and their captives were on it. General Wilkins looked into the faces of some of his troops. Many were, oddly enough, still defiant, still ready to fight. He felt a sudden burst of pride for his men. He looked up toward Mt. Sirius and spotted a star. He closed his eyes and made a wish.

---- - -- --- ---- -- ---

"Orange Leader to Red Leader, 3 bogeys inbound, bearing northwest. Permission to engage?"

"Affirmative Orange Leader, pursue and destroy."

The fighters following Orange Leader banked south and kicked in the afterburners. Red Leader soon followed. The bogeys suddenly reversed course and kicked in their afterburners. To the north, twenty transport helicopters with five attack copters charged through.

------------- --- --

Greg looked up and sighed. "Not more helicopters." He looked back towards the few soldiers that followed him. "Get into a building...NOW!" He jumped into the nearest building while everyone else scrambled into other buildings. He looked out of the building and saw five copters open fire...towards the south. Behind them, seventeen transport helicopters hovered above the city center. Black Hole troops started to pour out of the helicopters on ropes. He smiled and ran out of his building. Some of the troops ran back towards the city center. Greg looked around and saw the troops that were supposed to be holding the southern road start to run to the city center as well. Before he could react, a large force of mechs ran towards the south, rallying those who wanted to run back towards the center. One of the mechs stopped and stared at Greg.

"We are evacuating the officers first...then the soldiers. Until all of the officers are evacuated, everyone must fight. Come on." He led Greg further south.

-- --- -- --- --- -------

General Wilkins stared with disbelief. He quickly faced forward and tried to stifle his excitement. How could these Orange Star troops not notice? He heard a faint hissing noise and immediately realized what was going to happen. He cried out. "HIT THE DIRT!" Every Black Hole Soldier dived onto the ground. The Orange Star troops looked behind them and saw an attack copter missile streaking towards them. The missile struck right in the middle of the road. Almost all of the Orange Star troops were either dead or shocked. General Wilkins used this opportunity to wrestle the gun out of one of the dead bodies and opened fire on the Orange Star survivors. The now panicking Orange Star soldiers tried to run into the woods, but were soon shot by General Wilkins and the other Black Hole troops that managed to get a hold of an undamaged gun. General Wilkins looked around him and saw, to his astonishment, no dead Black Hole troopers. He smiled at his troops and pointed towards the mountain. "We need to get to that mountain, it is our only hope. Going back into the city is just suicide. The enemy forces are simply just too concentrated. If we keep going east from the mountain to the shores, we just might be able to be spotted by the Black Hole Navy. As far as I know, we still dominate the seas around here. General Wilkins suddenly ran into the woods, followed by the rest, as an Orange Star recon unit sped past the crater toward the south.

- -------- --------- -------

Max slowly opened his eyes. Nell looked up from her chair and smiled at him. Max smiled back, but winced as all of his feeling slowly came back to him.

Nell spoke first. "I was worried. Lucky for you, it hit your shoulder."

"I would've been luckier if I didn't get hit at all..." Max looked around. "How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple of hours. Our doctors did an amazing job of removing that bullet."

"Did you guys force Black Hole to surrender yet?"

"We are very close to overtaking the capital. As much as I hated to, we had to bomb it."

A messenger barged into the room, clearly out of breath. "Commander Nell! An important message for you..." He handed her the message and sat down.

Nell looked over the message. "How did this happen? How did they get so many transport copters in?"

"Commander...I believe they lured out fighters out of their patrols."

"What's the status of the anti-air units?"

"All of our missiles have been destroyed and a great deal of our anti-aircraft guns are damaged beyond repair. They struck so quickly, we didn't realize what was happening."

Nell looked up "Adder." She looked at Max. "I'm terribly sorry I can't stay longer, but I promise you I'll see you again as soon as possible."

Max nodded slowly "I understand completely. Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere."

Nell quickly walked out of the room and into the recon unit that was waiting for her. The messenger sat beside her, looking around nervously.

When Nell walked into her HQ, another messenger stopped her. "New message Commander. Urgent."

Nell read this new message quickly. "Are you kidding me? General Wilkins escaped?" She sat down at her desk and began writing orders for a search party. When she finished she handed it back to yet another messenger, who quickly saluted and ran out of the HQ. "You won't escape me this time General Wilkins. I know where you are going..."


	7. Tactics

(Author's note: Don't expect anything for about 20 days, I'm very busy. Also, reviews give me my incentive to write. So the more reviews, the better. I appreciate it, and tell your friends!)  
- ------------- The full moon started to shine brighter as day turned into night. General Wilkins led his troops east toward Mount Sirius, which was about twenty miles east of the capital. The dense forests obscured their vision and the woodland creatures made everybody jumpy. They continued to push through until they reached a small clearing. General Wilkins checked around the area, then decided it was time to rest for a moment. The other soldiers started to relax for a bit and started to eat the stolen Orange Star rations they grabbed from the dead soldiers. Other soldiers managed to grab some canteens and started to share. General Wilkins was amazed, it seemed like they were expecting to escape. After a few minutes, General Wilkins started to put everything away. The other soldiers did the same. They all marched toward the East, to Mount Sirius. General Wilkins stirred up some knowledge about the terrain.

"Mount Sirius is located in a very odd place. A series of cliffs stretches for miles north and south of the mountain. The mountain path leads up to a small pass which leads down on the other side. A small, probably sleepy town is located at the base of the path. A small garrison of Orange Star troops inhabit the town. Two major roads and three paths lead out of the town. If I'm correct we need to take the second major road that leads straight east all the way to the sea." All sixteen soldiers continued to march.

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Greg ducked down behind the barricade. He hastily reloaded and popped back up, shooting at the charging Orange Star troops. After twenty minutes, he was out of ammo. He started chucking grenades at the Orange Star troops until he was out. Another Black Hole soldier fell to the ground next to him with a bullet hole in his head. Greg grabbed all the ammo on the soldier and continued to fire. A Black Hole helicopter suddenly erupted in an inferno above him. The fireball started to fall. Greg, along with most of the soldiers, ran away from the barricade just as the helicopter crashed into it. Another soldier was running toward them from the center of the city. "Quickly! All of the officers have been evacuated, let's get out of here!"

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"Let me get this straight," said the Orange Star radioman. "You want me to issue a warning for this town because you believe that escaped prisoners are going to go through Mount Sirius? What makes you so sure? Oh... Very well. I'll alert the garrison. Reinforcements are on their way? Ok."

The Orange Star radioman hung up his receiver and walked downstairs. "Hey Marty, Commander Nell wants to issue a general warning for the town's garrison."

"Why would she want to do such a thing? Don't we have Black Hole cornered?"

"I guess not, she said something about escaped prisoners. Someone really important must be in that group."

"Alright Frank, radio the other watch towers and the barracks. We need to get ready for anything."

One hour later, the entire garrison was assembled. Marty walked up to them.

"We need to set up some defenses on Mount Sirius, and an ambush if we can. Half of you go up there and set the trap, the rest stay here and guard the town. Do not fire unless you are fired upon! Dismissed!"

Everyone scrambled back to their barracks and equipped themselves. Exactly half, about fifty green soldiers, followed Marty up to the mountain. A prisoner APC followed them to the base of the mountain, where three soldiers waited. The other half, led by another commander, set up a barricade between the path and the town. The garrison's lone tank was placed at the end of the road on the other side of the town.

- ----------- --------

"Commander Nell! We've just received word that the town near Mount Sirius is prepared for anything."

"We shall see about that, they are quite crafty. When will the other reinforcements arrive in town?"

"At their current speed, about one hour."

"Hmm, send in some attack helicopters to scout the area around Mount Sirius. Orders are NOT to engage no matter what. I want General Wilkins alive!"

"Yes ma'am, I'm right on it." The messenger ran outside towards the small air base.

Nell arose from her chair and started to pace back and forth. After a few minutes, she looked outside towards the flaming ruins of the capital. "This needs to end tomorrow. Too many lives have been lost because I was impatient. I can't afford to lose any more good soldiers. Maybe Black Hole's evacuation can be a good thing. It will finally end this war on Orange Star territory. Afterwards, we will need to find General Wilkins, he is trying to get to the eastern coast. I just know it.

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"Lord Adder! The diversion worked, we have already evacuated all of the officers. The soldiers will be next."

"Excccellent. Any sssign of Flak?"

"No, Lord Adder. We fear he may have died during the first assault on the city."

"SSStill, we have valuable officccersss. Contact Lasssh, we need to know if ssshe can defeat Blue Moon or not. We may have to sssend reinforcccementsss to her."

"Yes, my lord." The soldier ran out of the room.

"Onccce again, one of your brilliant plansss hasss worked." Adder said to himself.

A bodyguard charged into Adder's office. "MY LORD! Yellow Comet is once again on the attack and our troops can't hold them!"

Adder slipped out of the room with the bodyguard. He quickly wrote down orders and gave them to many different messengers. After a while, he walked back to his office with a smug look on his face. "Your brillianccce cannot be matched."

- ---------------

Hawke set the message down and looked up at everyone in the conference room. "At least Adder is doing his job properly. I still wish he would just finish off Yellow Comet instead of toying with them, the same goes for Lash. She spent too long trying to invent new weapons that she has been caught off guard. Her forces are reeling back, but Adder's reinforcements will arrive very shortly. Our attempt to rescue the Black Hole forces at the Orange Star capital has been successful so far, but there is still no sign of Flak or General Wilkins. That is everything from the other theaters. Has there been any new reports from the Green Earth theater?"

The person across from Hawke stood up. "Sir, we've repelled the enemy counterattack. Reports state that the area is now secure."

"Good, anyone else?"

The person to the left of Hawke stood up. "We have suffered minimal casualties after the bombing raid this afternoon. We've lost some barracks and some soldiers, but reports show that we have shot down many bombers. We have yet to know the total count."

"Excellent, any more?"

The room remained silent.

"Very well. Keep on your toes. This commander Drake has been a pain on the eastern coast cities. I want his navy sunk by the end of this week. We'll continue to attack the Green Earth army until they are completely destroyed. We'll not take any chances, especially with Orange Star free to send troops to other countries. I also want someone to find out where their secret air bases are! We must hold air superiority at all costs! Gentlemen, continue what you are doing and we will win this war. Your countrymen will look upon you as heroes. You will bring power back to Black Hole!"

Cheers erupted from the table. Hawke raised his hand for silence. "You are dismissed, but do not celebrate until Green Earth is destroyed." Everyone nodded. Hawke left the room, and one by one, so did everyone else. The clock struck midnight and the Black Hole staff fell quickly asleep.


	8. Skirmish on Mount Sirius

(Author's note: I'm once again terribly sorry to keep my fans waiting. It has been far too long. I have to say that when I write, it usually is because I feel like writing. Perhaps my laziness factor has increased too much...because I never really feel like writing. Once again, reviews are everything. The reason for me writing this story is for all fans of Advance Wars...if I don't see fans giving me reviews, I think that no one is reading this and that my work is in vain...so...please, just acknowledge that you are reading this, if nothing else. I thank you all...every one of you...)

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General Wilkins spotted the pass and signaled for the others to rest along the small mountain trail. It took a while to catch his breath. It had taken a very long time to climb the mountain, especially at his age. Everyone was looking around, as if expecting something else to happen. Just as General Wilkins was about to give the signal to move on, he heard a twig snap, followed by hushed voices. He quickly signaled the troops to be very quiet.

"Psst, hey Marty! What are you doing? Get back here!"

"Be quiet!" Marty hissed. "I'm just trying to see if I can spot them!"

Marty walked back to the pass and disappeared among the trees. General Wilkins signaled for his troops to follow him very slowly up the mountain. With amazing silence, they slowly crawled up the mountain, holding their breath. General Wilkins and his troops finally made it to a small dried out riverbed. General Wilkins looked up and spotted a large amount of troops gathering around a small fire. He motioned for a grenade. Everyone shook their head, it seemed like they didn't have enough time to grab those when they escaped. General Wilkins signaled for his troops to stay put, and crawled out of the riverbed away from the Orange Star Troops.

General Wilkins waited a long time before Marty walked down the path again. Marty was staring into the darkness, looking for any sign of movement. After a few minutes, he grabbed a cigarette and lit it. General Wilkins seized his chance. The small light that came from the lighter was enough to destroy his night vision. General Wilkins knew better than to look at the light. He charged forth, put his hand on Marty's mouth, and snapped his neck. He laid the body down in a patch of grass and went through it's pockets. As luck would have it, he found three grenades. He rolled the body down a grassy hill that opened into a cliff. Without looking back, he slowly made his way back to the riverbed. He gave two grenades to two different people and held up three fingers. The other troops slowly readied their weapons. He put down one finger, then another, and then another.

The blasts killed almost all of the troops around the fire. General Wilkins and his troops popped up from the riverbed and opened fire on the survivors. The tree line to the left of them opened fire on the riverbed. General Wilkins and his troops fired back on them. General Wilkins started to fall back along the riverbed away from the fire, along with everyone else. Orange Star troops started to swarming out of the tree line, firing frantically

General Wilkins looked behind him and spotted an attack helicopter soaring toward him. Looking around, he noticed he had no way to destroy the copter. Trapped, he could only do one thing. At the top of his lungs, he bellowed.

"GET DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, HURRY NOW!!!"

He charged across the pass shooting madly. The Orange Star bullets snapped branches and splintered tree trunks. Ducking their heads, the other troops followed, shooting towards the Orange Star troops, stopping many of them. The attack copter suddenly turned on a spotlight, illuminating General Wilkins. He looked back at the copter and shot at the light, almost stumbling down the mountain. He noticed an APC near some trees with three troops standing next to it. He fired three shots and watched all three Orange Star troops go down in a crumpled heap. He continued firing up the mountain and waited for the others. Four Black Hole troops emerged from the mountain and entered the APC, General Wilkins looked around and spotted nobody else. With bullets ricocheting around him, General Wilkins jumped in as well and fired up the engines. He sped down the road towards the town.

Speeding up even more, he entered the town. A barricade in front of him erupted in a fiery inferno of bullets. General Wilkins sped up even more and smashed into the barricade. Orange Star troops scattered everywhere. General Wilkins sped up even more and charged towards the other side of town. As the bullets became less frequent, General Wilkins took a deep breath. It seemed like he hadn't breathed in a long time. The sun was just about to rise, he guessed. Just as he started to relax, a tank emerged from behind a building and opened fire.

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"Commander Nell! We have news!"

Nell looked up from her paperwork. "What is it?"

"We've finally recaptured our capital. All resistance is non-existent."

Nell nodded her head. "Finally, after all this time..."

"What are your orders?"

"For now, celebrate, the troops definitely need a morale boost. I'm going to visit Max."

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Hawke woke up as soon as the sun had risen. He had an excellent built-in alarm clock in his brain that hadn't failed him yet. He walked down to the meeting room and grabbed some black coffee. He read a couple of messages and waited for his staff to assemble.

As soon as everyone was assembled he placed a map on the board.

"We've taken a few more cities on the southern coast. I've also been informed that a major air force base that has been hidden from us for quite a long time has been discovered. I'll send some troops there very soon. This war will be won. Green Earth is on the verge of defeat. Only a few major fortresses have not been captured in the Southeast Theatre, including a few major cities. I will warn all of you now, they are becoming desperate. You must be vigilant. You must be able to stop any attack. Do not allow them to gain any momentum. If we can still hold strong, we'll be able to conquer Green Earth in a matter of days. As soon as we get more troops from the Homeland, we'll launch the final invasion. You are dismissed."

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Adder was looking quite pleased with himself.

"Excccelent. Like alwaysss, I ssucccceed. Tell Lasssh to messssage me if ssshe needsss reinforcccementsss."

Adder looked at the sunset with a smirk spreading across his face.


End file.
